The Only Exception
by jemster23
Summary: Unlucky in love Bella Swan has never been particularly fond of Valentine's Day. All she's ever received is a load of unpaid bills and junk mail, certainly not a Valentine's Day card! But this time round Bella finds herself with a secret admirer, someone who is going all out to catch her eye. The big question is - who is it?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Unlucky in love Bella Swan has never been particularly fond of Valentine's Day. All she's ever received is a load of unpaid bills and junk mail, certainly not a Valentine's Day card! But this time round Bella finds herself with a secret admirer, someone who is going all out to catch her eye. The big question is - who is it?**

**An: Here's a short little story I started for Valentine's weekend;) I'm late posting this but I hope you like it all the same. It's in two parts, the second chapter will hopefully follow next weekend. ****It is dedicated to the lovely person who nominated my story finding home for the top ten stories completed in January over on **

**Enjoy!**

**~*~The Only Exception~*~**

"Good morning Bella." Alice smiled as she cheerfully handed me my morning coffee.

"Morning Alice." I replied back glad of the distraction away from the mountain of paperwork that I found on my desk this morning.

"You're looking rather pleased with yourself. Good weekend I take it?" I inquired.

"Jasper came back this week." she sighed dreamily. "He's told me that he's taking me away next weekend too!"

"Nice," I smiled, pleased that my best friend had at last found a decent guy, after dating her fair share of losers.

"I hope you haven't forgotten what day it is on Friday?" She informed me.

As if I could forget, I thought sourly as I recalled my weekend full of over the top gestures of love, a mass of hearts and all things red. Valentine's Day cheer was everywhere I looked; at the dinner, in the supermarket. Even the very building I was sat in now was adorned with red hanging hearts and decorations. I think it was Alice's doing. The eager little pixie was determined to spread love and happiness everywhere she went.

In all honestly I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Could I sound any more bitter?

In my defence it was understandable really, because lets be honest there is nothing more depressing than being single on Valentine's Day when people are shoving it down your throat.

Okay, so maybe they weren't; it just felt that way sometimes.

The closest I was going to get to company was a not so romantic meal with my Dad and his new girlfriend Sue. Talk about being the third wheel. At 23 years old my love life was practically none existent. Heck, even my Dad was getting more action than me, but the little said about that the better.

"So do you have anything special planned?" Alice asked excitedly.

I looked up from my screen and eyed her curiously. Alice was by no means stupid. She knew the whole sorry story of my non-existent love life and I told her as much.

"Alice, if you haven't forgotten I'm very much single! So take a wild guess at what I'll be doing on Valentine's Day?" I answered unenthusiastically.

"Bella there are so many possibilities if you would just open your eyes to them," she scolded, sending me the look that let me know I was in for a lecture, and she didn't disappoint.

"If you don't put yourself out there you'll never know." She said gently.

I had heard it all before of course. Alice was forever telling me that I needed to be more confident and open to love, which was a lot easier said than done. I didn't exactly have a good track record as far as dating goes. In high school I was cursed with being not only incredibly self conscious, but I was also blessed with a crippling shyness that repelled boys. Back then I'd been on a few dates and I'd had even fewer boyfriends. I wasn't much better now.

"Alice please stop," I interrupted, sensing she was about to read me the riot act again.

"No Bella, you need to hear this. Look, I know you're shy but you're never going to meet anyone if you keep pushing people away or ignore what is right in front of you!"

She sent me a knowing look before she continued on. "Don't tell me there isn't someone you're interested in. I know for a fact you feel something for him too."

While she ranted away, I kept my head down, willing her to shut up. Though I tried to keep my feelings hidden, of course she knew about the little crush, correction, the obsession I had with a certain green eyed teacher.

"Besides, you never know he might finally make a move this Valentine's." She said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

The 'He' in question was Edward Cullen, Forks Highs newest music teacher and part time football coach.

I'd never been one of those people who was fascinated by musical talent or sporting greatness or any of that sort of thing, but for Edward I could definitely make an exception.

He had been on the brink of stardom and had just secured his place as the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks when a tragic injury put an end to his career. Since then he'd been rumoured to have been offered both presenting and coaching jobs with all the top teams, and if the rumours were true a few movie roles too. Then again you only had to look at him to see why.

He was stunning and without doubt the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen. His jawline was strong and he had cheekbones most women would die for. And don't even get me started on his hair. It was such a unique shade of bronze/brown that appeared completely dishelvished and unruly. But it was his eyes that really drew me in. They were such a breathtaking shade of green, so intense and striking.

Women adored him and men wanted to be him; He was that type of guy.

He was too God damn perfect for his own good. He belonged on the big screen or the cover of GQ for crying out loud. He certainly didn't belong in Forks High that's for sure, but luckily for us Edward had turned them all down in favour of our humble High School so that he could be close to his family whom lived just outside of town.

It was seen as a strange choice by some people but Edward wanted a quiet life away from the spotlight and media attention. Its not him, it never was. Edward was never one to be picture stumbling out of nightclubs and dating stunning models.

By all accounts he led a quiet life, though not as reclusive as me; your stereotypical librarian still living at home with her father. Perhaps Alice did have a point. Maybe I did need to start living a little.

But no matter how much I wanted Edward, I wasn't deluding myself into thinking I had a chance with him. We were friends but that was as far as it went. Someone like him would never be interested in a nobody like me.

We came from two very different worlds. He the star quarterback and me the reclusive bookworm.

That said Edward didn't exactly fit the stereotypical quarterback role either. He was kind and friendly, and he always had a smile on his face when we passed one another in the corridor. What's more, he was a complete gentleman too and he was always there to help carry my books on the few occasions he saw me struggling in the hallway.

Alice was right; I was totally crushing on him. Me and all the other single teachers and several married ones too. I was willing to bet that more than a few single parents were harboring feelings for him. It was actually quite amusing how since his arrival the number of single mothers coming in to school to 'check on' their kids progress had increased significantly.

I couldn't blame them. Edward was smart, friendly, intuitive, and I was instantly drawn to him. Yeah me and most of the female population in Forks.

But what makes Edward even more amazing is that he's a great teacher; Nothing like the bullying gym teachers I had to endure during my time as a student that had made my life a misery.

He was incredibly thoughtful and he took real time to help his students succeed.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that it was a simple crush but my feelings ran much deeper than most. I knew of Edward Cullen before he even joined the faculty. In fact the first time I became aware of him was way back in High school when his team played the Forks Spartans in my senior year.

Our team got well and truly smashed and as bad it sounds I had no sympathy for them. Mike Newton our 'star' quarterback at the time thought he was the God of the school despite never actually winning anything. He made my school life a living hell. Being shy and the new girl, I was an ideal target for him and his bunch of dumb jocks. From the start I didn't fit in and they terrorized me the whole of freshman year with cruel jibes and taunts about my oversized glasses, horrible braces and flat chest.

"Talk of the devil," Alice's voice drew me out of my reminiscing. "Here comes your man," she teased and I looked up to find Edward heading towards my desk, a pile of books in his hands.

"Alice," I hissed in warning, willing my cheeks to cool down.

"Good morning ladies," Edwards usually chirpy voice greeted us. He sent me that killer smile that made my heart flutter.

"Morning Edward," I said blushing like a sixteen year old schoolgirl.

"Did you have a nice weekend?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Yes thanks, it was pretty uneventful. How about you?" I deflected.

"The same really," Edward smiled back.

"So you haven't been busy making any big plans for Valentine's Day?" Alice's knowing smile focused in on him.

I sent her a warning look before glancing back to Edward who was blushing and scratching the back of his neck nervously as if he was as excited about this week as I was.

"Ignore her Edward. Alice has taken it up herself to play cupid this week, " I joked, attempting to spare his blush but in all honestly I wasn't ready to hear his plans for the coming week.

He'd never mentioned anyone but I guess our conversations rarely went beyond school business or our plans for the weekend.

"So what have we got this week?" I asked for distraction away from Alice's fishing around for information.

"How's Emmett going with those extra classes?" I glancing down to the collection of text books he was checking out.

"He's making real progress," Edwards smile widened, and I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

Another one of the things I loved about Edward was how much of a wonderful teacher he was. He took the time to support his students and was keen for them to succeed in all aspects of their studies, not just his classes. He really was a great teacher, as I had witnessed on the numerous occasions. Often during free periods he would be in the library tutoring his students.

In particular, he reached out to help Emmett, the Spartans star quarterback who was struggling to keep up with his studies. It was quite awe inspiring to watch as Edward had that magical ability to turn what should have been the most boring of conversation into the most fascinating topic in the world. He had the amazing ability to draw the best out of people. He loved his job and that showed in his enthusiasm.

I lost track of time when Edward was nearby and it was only when he glanced at his watch that I realized we were nearing first period.

"Well, I guess I should get going. See you at lunch," he nodded and paused as if waiting for me to say something.

I opened my mouth to speak but I just couldn't get anything out. He looked hopeful at my attempts, but soon turned despondent when I didn't say anything.

That said he still offered me that killer smile and after sending me a final nod he turned to leave.

When I was sure Edward was out of earshot I turn to Alice accusingly.

"Alice keep you've voice down next time. He could have heard you!" I warned.

"So what if he did?" she looked at me pointedly, not in the least deterred. "You two have been dancing around each other for far too long."

"Alice you're delusional." I argued.

"And you're in denial! You should see the way he looks at you when he knows you're not looking."

"Don't be absurd," I declared flustered.

"No I mean it Bella, the guy couldn't be any more obvious. He's always looking for any excuse to see you. I mean do you think he really comes in here so just to help Emmett out?"

"He's being a good teacher Alice," I justified though she didn't look convinced,

Alice was way off the mark this time. As far as I was concerned, I was a wasting my time with Edward. I was hardly his type. I was shy, clumsy, and incredibly introverted.

Edward would never be interested in a nobody like me.

Could he?

**AN: So what do we think so far? It's nothing too serious, just a little bit of fluff:)**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**


	2. Chapter 2

**Not gonna lie I was late updating this story to start with, but one particularly nasty review I received a while ago about one of my stories really didn't help matters!**

**Sure, I've had a few negative remarks before (some I agree are justified) but this latest one really knocked my confidence. I'm not a writer; I don't get paid to do this, so please bare that in mind before leaving abusive comments.**

**And if my writing is so 'fucking horrible' then stop reading, and if you really want to leave a review a simple can do better will be more than sufficient. I don't need a rant about all my shortcomings.**

**I have so many lovely reviews and loyal readers, and I really do appreciate each and every one of them, sadly it only takes one horrible review to really have an effect.**

**Okay, that's the end of my own rant, so on with the next chapter. Once again I'm sorry it's so late:(**

~Chapter 2~

The days leading up to Valentine's Day passed with little incident, and the only memorable moment was mid week when Alice came into the library, her usually cheerful shelf. What made me instantly suspicious and a little curious however, was in addition to our regular coffees, the infamous bakery bag I spotted tucked under her arm.

When she handed me my favorite blueberry muffin I knew Alice was definitely up to something and I didn't have to wait long to find out she was up to.

"I need to ask you a massive favour." Alice said dubiously, as I was half way through tucking into my muffin. Her next comment put me even less at ease.

"I wouldn't ask but there's no one else who can take my place. I was wondering if you'd mind covering for me on Friday night?" she asked hopefully.

I tried to stop my disappointment from showing on my face but I was certain Alice caught it. You see every Valentine's Day the school celebrated with a dance to mark the occasion. It was traditional annual event that took place every year in the school gymnasium with the teachers playing chaperones to ensure the event went off without trouble.

I'd had to endure my turn at playing chaperone last year and unfortunately for Alice, she had drawn the short straw this year. And while I wanted to help her out, I was less than happy at the prospect of being stuck doing it for a second year running.

"You can do it for me can't you?" Alice persisted.

"I don't know, Alice," I began apprehensively. It's not that I didn't want to help my friend out, I just didn't fancy being stuck in a room full of adolescent teenagers on what was meant to be the most romantic day of the year.

"I'd love to help you out, really I would, but Alice I did my time last year," I pointed out.

"Besides, I have lots of work to finish this weekend." I made up the first excuse I could think of but Alice was not in the least deterred.

"Oh, come on, Bella. Jasper is back in town this weekend and I don't want to miss out. I have a feeling this is the time he finally proposes."

I smiled at her enthusiasm, as for the last six weeks Alice was adamant that Jasper was on the verge of proposing. For her sake I hoped she was right this time. I didn't want her to be disappointed yet again.

Sensing that my resolve was weakening, she pressed on. "Oh please Bella, you're my last hope," she pleaded.

"Gee thanks Alice," I faked annoyance. "Way to kick a girl when she's down."

"You know I didn't mean it like that," she said, full of remorse. "You don't get out enough, Bella. You work too hard. All week you're busy fussing round after your students, and even on the weekend you stay locked in your house, looking after your Dad. You need some fresh air and human contact. It's not like you have a better offer!"

If I didn't know Alice had my best interest at heart I'd have taken offense. Besides, a lot of what she said was true. Still, I wasn't going to give in so easily.

"Hey, I'm happy as I am. And who's to say I don't already have plans?" I retorted.

Alice's surprised eyes shot to mine, a wide smile playing on her lips. "So you finally worked up the courage to ask Edward out then?" she shot back. I blushed crimson before glaring back at her.

"Hardly," I snorted inelegantly.

"Well, it's about time you did. I'm telling you Bella the guy is so shy, you've gotta make the first move!"

)*(

An hour later after more begging and grovelling from Alice I begrudgingly agreed to take her space in overseeing the dance. Like Alice rightly pointed out, it wasn't like I had other plans and I didn't want her to miss out on what she was sure was going to be a memorable night.

News spread fast and less than an hour had passed before Edward dropped by to collect some of the books he'd requested for his class.

"I hear you got roped into chaperoning the dance too?" he said smiling.

"Unfortunately." I pulled a face before I considered his question.

"Are you going too?" I asked hopefully.

While I was in no way looking forward to it, the night would be no where near as dreary with Edward keeping me company.

"Afraid so," he grumbled. "Apparently because I wasn't here last year, it's my turn to endure it as principle Burdie told me. What's your story? I thought you already did your time last year?"

"I'm taking Alice's place. She and Jasper have plans this weekend so she needed a replacement and I drew the short straw. She managed to wear me down eventually." I sighed disheartened. Honestly if Alice wasn't my best friend, sometimes I could murder her!

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, noticing my mood change.

"Being stuck watching over a group of hormonal teenagers is not exactly my idea of the perfect Valentine's night." I joked.

"You had other plans?" Edward asked quietly. He sounded almost disappointed and truth be told he looked a little uncomfortable.

"Not likely," I snorted, then flushed in embarrassment at my inelegant response.

"My Dad and his girlfriend, Sue are having a quiet night in. To be honest I should be glad of the excuse not to play gooseberry!"

I sensed Edward was about to say something more, but before he could continue Emmett came marching through the door, a ridiculously large smile on his face

"Looks like your favorite pupil is here." I teased, nudging Edward who smiled proudly across at said pupil.

"Emmett looks happy today. Did he do well in a test or something?" I asked, curious about his obvious good mood. He was literally grinning from ear to ear.

"Or something." Edward laughed heartedly. It was a lovely sound.

When I gave him a questioning look, he continued. "He finally asked Rosalie out."

Both Rosalie and Emmett were mine and Edward's pet projects as such. While Edward was trying to help Emmett with his studies, I was helping Rosalie be more confident and assertive. She was a bit on the shy side, much like myself at her age.

Truth be told Rosalie and Emmett were complete opposites but it was obvious to anyone with eyes how much they liked each other.

"It's about time." I agreed before turning serious. "He'd better not hurt her or you'll be in my bad books Cullen." I warned.

"He wont, trust me. He really likes her." Edward was quick to reassure me. He was right; Emmett worshiped the ground Rosalie walked on. Only she was too blind to see it.

"Well it's good to know it works out for some people." I let slip. When Edward raised his eyebrows at my comment I clarified.

"You've got to admit it's a bit unconventional; the jock and the geek."

"There are always exceptions to the stereotypes. It's not so unheard of or surprising." Edward sounded genuine but I wasn't convinced.

"I've been there Edward. I was Rosalie in High School. Trust me not many guys notice the shy girl." I disagreed.

"I think you're wrong." Edward said seriously.

"Easy for you to say." I muttered under my breathe but he heard me.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Edward looked a little amused.

"Nothing," I flushed, wishing I'd kept my big mouth shut." I just can't imagine you being short of admirers to pick from when you were in High School."

This time Edward was the one sniggering. ''Not as many as you would think." He answered cryptically.

"Come on Edward, you mean to tell me you struggled to get a date in High School?" I challenged.

When he blushed I was certain that I was right until his next sentence surprised the hell out of me.

"For your information I never even had a girlfriend in High School."

"What? Seriously?" He had to be joking with me.

"It's true." Edward blushed. " I was so focus on sport and getting good grades that it left no time for much else. Besides, the only girls that were interested in me was because of my success on the football fields. Why would I want that? No one caught my eye." he paused thoughtfully. He had a strange look in his eyes before he continued.

"Well, there was this one girl once who caught my eye," he flushed again, clearly embarrassed.

"What happened?" I asked, attempting to keep the jealousy out of my tone. I realised I was being utterly ridiculous.

"Nothing happened, I wasn't confident enough to even approach her let alone ask her out." He looked down, but I could still see the frown tugging on his lips. Obviously this girl had meant more to him than a simple crush.

"It was probably for the best," he began, finally meeting my gaze. "She was way out of my league anyway."

I scoffed at his claim. I didn't have chance to point out the ridiculousness of his statement before Edward diverted the conversation away from his school days.

"And I bet you're wrong about boys not noticing you. Just because they didn't make a move didn't mean they weren't interested. You probably had more admirers than you think."

This time it was my turn to blush but I brushed off his claim. "Trust me, the only time boys noticed me was when they wanted to cheat on a test."

When Edward looked disbelieving I continued. "Seriously it took Mike Newton almost running me over to finally notice me." I joked but Edward looked absolutely furious.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"He was driving too fast, hit a patch of ice and came crashing into me. But at least I got a week off school for my trouble." I tried to play it down but Edward didn't see the funny side.

"I hope he got punished!"

"Not exactly. Despite my Dads determination to get him banned and suspended from school he only got a slap on the wrist. He was driving around the next week." I shrugged. I'd long gotten over the injustice of it all.

Edward cursed ."Idiots like him shouldn't be allowed on the road," he angrily replied.

)*(

The rest of the week passed without incident in the build up to the dance. I barely saw Edward and when I did he was always busy rushing around. He seemed a little preoccupied but I put that down to the stress of coaching the team. They had a big game coming up which they were determined to win.

Alice had once again roped me into helping out. This time I was busy decorating the school gymnasium.

Why the students couldn't do it themselves was beyond me, but apparently Alice didn't trust them not to mess up the grand vision she had in mind for our humble gym.

By some miracle we both had a free afternoon where we had got to work, and between the two of us and a few pupils helping out we had done a pretty good job. We'd worked all afternoon, skipping lunch and we were almost done, just putting the final banners up when Alice went to grab us some much needed food.

While I waited for her to return with our lunch I took a moment to inspect our progress.

As much as I wasn't a fan, I had to admit it had turned out great. Alice was an enthusiastic decorator and I couldn't deny that she had done a good job. The room was as tastefully decorated and luxuriously as it could be with a mass of red paper hearts and balloons. We only had a few pieces left to hang before it was complete.

Fed up of waiting for Alice to return and eager to get on with the task at hand, I cautiously climbed up the the ladder and started the work on the final banner. I was in the process of attaching said banner when I heard a noise behind me.

"You took your sweet time!" I playfully scolded, not bothering to look away from the piece that refused to stay in place.

"Bella?" a voice I wasn't expecting called out

Startled, I jerked round, half turning to look across the room where I saw Edward with a box full of decorations. A split second later I felt the ladder wobble and before I could right myself I felt the ladder slip and I began to topple down.

I don't know how he did it but Edward somehow reached me in time before I hit the ground .He caught me in his arms, but the force knocked us off balance and we landed hard on the floor together. I heard him grunt in obvious discomfort.

For a moment I lay there, with one of my arms trapped under Edwards body, the rest of me more or less on top of him. Neither one of us spoke or moved, both breathless and slightly winded from the fall but when I finally found voice remorse flooded me.

"Oh God, Edward! I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" I asked as I scrambled off him.

Once I'd righted myself, my eyes flew open to look up at Edward. Worry and anger was etched across his face as he came to sit next to me and take my hand roughly in his.

"I'm fine!" He snapped back, his expression thunderous. "What the hell were you thinking go going up there on your own? Do you realize what could have happened if I hadn't been here?" he demanded

"I didn't think of that," I admitted. I felt foolish for being so careless and my cheeks reddened from both the telling off from Edward and embarrassment. I'd never seen Edward angry or so much as loose his temper but he was pretty damn intimidating.

Our eyes met, and there was a look of relief on his face.

"Sorry," he quickly apologized. "You worried me when I saw you coming down like that. Are you okay? You took a nasty fall?" he inquired with concern, while inspecting me for any sign of injury or discomfort.

"I'm fine honestly," I assured him. "You took the brunt of the fall.I should be asking you the same question." I turned it round on him, but Edward brushed off my concerns.

"Good, I'm glad you're okay ," Edward seemed relieved. "But no more ladders for you in future!" It was a order, not a request. Stern Edward was back and I had to admit that he was rather attractive.

"Okay," I agreed as Edward extending his hand to help me up.

"What are you doing here anyway?" I asked to get away from the tension in the air. "If you're here to help as you can see we're almost done decorating."

"The reason I'm here other than to save your ass, is to see if you wanted a ride to the dance tomorrow night. I thought we could together. There's no reason to take two cars." he offered.

"Oh," I paused, mildly surprised at his invitation. "That's good idea," I answered.

I didn't have a chance to think any more about Edwards kind offer, because the door opening, caught us both off guard.

I expected to see Alice return but instead of my pesky friend,it was one of my favourite students.

"Hey Miss Swan," Jake spoke in a rush as he hurried over to us. "Coach," he turned to acknowledged Edward.

"Miss Brandon said you might want some help getting a few more decorations up?" Jacob thoughtfully offered.

"That would be great Jacob, thank you," I started to say before Edward interrupted.

"If you just make a start on those, I'll be over to help you in a minute," he instructed.

"Sure thing, coach," he eagerly replied, already grabbing the cardboard box Edward had brought in with him.

"He's a really sweet kid, why can't they all be so thoughtful?" I pondered before Edwards musical laughter brought my attention back to him. He had the strangest look on his face; a cross between amused and disbelieving.

"You really aren't that clueless are you?" He said, struggling to contain his amusement.

"I don't understand?" I asked genuinely confused.

"The reason that boy is so 'thoughtful;' as you put it is because he has a massive crush on you." Edward informed me.

"Don't be so absurd," I tried to brush off his claims but he was adamant.

"I'm serious Bella. Did you never wondered why he is always so eager to help you, or why he's hanging out at the library so often?" Edward probed.

"Oh god!" I said mortified. "This is so awkward!"

"I've got my work cut out with you haven't I?" Edward commented.

"Excuse me?" I repeated, sure I had misheard him. But before Edward could answer my question he was already on his way to help Jake with the last remaining items.

And I was left wondering what was that all about?

**AN: One more chapter to go!**

** I know I've kept you waiting but I hope you guys are still interested in this story:) I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Me x**


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